Chapter 8: Me, From the World of Magic
Tiger’s bounty far exceeded the original 230 million Beli from the original story, revealing just how devastating the fire Chuyang set had been!
The Navy had yet to dispatch forces to sweep the Sun Pirates because the losses at Mary Geoise were so severe that all personnel were immediately committed to post-disaster reconstruction.
This was a blessing in disguise, granting Chuyang the time he needed to grow and gain the strength to protect himself.
Time passed swiftly.
About a month later, the Navy launched their pursuit. With Jinbei’s help, Chuyang successfully mastered Armament Haki.
On the seas of the New World, the Sun Pirates found themselves completely surrounded by five warships.
The enemy came with overwhelming force, and every crew member understood they were in for a fierce battle.
None, not even Arlong, showed the slightest hint of fear; they were truly prepared for an all-out fight to the death with the Navy.
No fish-man would allow their spiritual leader, Fisher Tiger, to be captured by the Navy.
As the battle loomed, Tiger suddenly approached Chuyang and said, “I didn’t expect that leaving you here would bring you trouble. If things go south, just take a small boat and escape.”
“Besides you, everyone on this ship is a fish-man—they don’t need a ship to get away.”
Chuyang glanced at Tiger but didn’t agree.
If things turned grim, of course he would leave, but not before wreaking havoc first.
Unable to exact revenge on the Celestial Dragons for now, he would vent his fury on the Navy.
Beside him, Jinbei said, “Brother Tiger, we’ll never abandon you and run off on our own.”
Tiger looked around and saw that everyone shared Jinbei’s resolve. Realizing persuasion was futile, he focused on commanding the crew.
The Navy held a decisive advantage in artillery, superior to ninety percent of pirate crews.
Therefore, before any close-quarters boarding combat, they always began with heavy cannon fire.
The five warships completely encircled the Sun Pirates from all directions and unleashed a barrage, the roar deafening.
“Watch out for the cannonballs! If they hit our ship, we’re done for!” Jinbei shouted, leaping into the sea. Using Fish-Man Karate, he grabbed hold of the currents as if they were solid objects.
With a powerful tug, the swirling water formed a thick water tornado.
With an over-the-shoulder throw, Jinbei launched the water vortex, creating a raging water screen alongside the ship’s hull that blocked many cannonballs.
The other side of the ship, however, was left exposed and defenseless.
Some of the more reckless fish-men even tried to shield the masts with their own bodies.
At the critical moment, Chuyang appeared, clasping his hands together and beginning to form seals.
During this time, not only had he been studying Haki, but he had also been extracting chakra daily to cultivate Wood Release.
Chuyang was no longer the novice who had just escaped from the Holy Land; he could now perform some difficult ninjutsu.
He activated Wood Release, and huge shields of intertwined trees and vines rapidly sprouted along both sides of the deck, covering most of the ship’s hull.
[Wood Release: Woodland Barrier]
Cannonballs rained down on the wooden shields, sparks flying. To everyone’s surprise, the shields were extraordinarily tough, withstanding the barrage and only showing a few fine cracks.
“I underestimated the strength of Wood Release!” Chuyang breathed a sigh of relief.
He had already prepared himself for the possibility of the massive wooden shield being shattered by the cannon fire.
“Great job, Chuyang!” Tiger exclaimed joyfully. “Brothers, Chuyang has blocked all the enemy’s cannonballs. Let’s get the ship moving and break through their encirclement before engaging in battle.”
Even if the Navy exhausted all their cannon fire on the wooden shield, the disparity in manpower was still significant, and entering a boarding fight prematurely would be disadvantageous.
Therefore, the Sun Pirates absolutely could not fight while trapped inside the encirclement.
Jinbei leapt from the sea back onto the ship, glanced up at the sturdy Woodland Barrier shielding the ship, and said, “Brother Tiger, we can’t raise the sails now, so we’ll have to use the currents to propel the ship forward.”
Tiger nodded and stood at the stern alongside Jinbei.
One to the left, one to the right, both used Fish-Man Karate to manipulate the water’s recoil, pushing the pirate ship forward at great speed.
Chuyang was not idle either.
He formed massive spear-shaped rams at the ship’s prow using Wood Release.
As the pirate ship broke through the encirclement, the giant rams slammed into the warship straight ahead.
The warship was split in half like the Titanic, sinking slowly beneath the waves, while the Navy crew on board fell into the sea like dumplings.
Cheers erupted near Chuyang’s ears!
After breaking through, Chuyang dispelled Wood Release. The crew raised the sails again, and Jinbei took the helm, expertly steering the ship to rapidly distance themselves from the Navy warships.
Tiger came over and patted Chuyang’s shoulder, about to say something, but noticed Chuyang’s expression had grown distant.
At that moment, Chuyang’s consciousness, along with that mysterious mist, returned to a palace.
The Chuyang of the Naruto world had been waiting a long time.
And on the vacant throne, yet another figure appeared—another “self.”
Naruto-world Chuyang happily stepped forward to stand face-to-face with Pirate Chuyang, while the “new Chuyang” seated on the throne also approached.
The three shared their memories once more.
After a long moment, Naruto Chuyang and Pirate Chuyang stared in surprise at the third.
He was Chuyang from the Harry Potter magical world!
Magic-world Chuyang had just received an invitation from Hogwarts during vacation and had yet to officially enroll; he was still an orphan living in an orphanage.
Magic Chuyang said happily, “I wasn’t too keen on going to Hogwarts at first. Although I longed for it, I was afraid I couldn’t keep up. But now I’m not afraid anymore.”
Naruto Chuyang nodded in agreement. “I completely understand how you feel. When I first crossed into a time of war, I was terrified. Though there were opportunities, there were even greater dangers.”
Pirate Chuyang grumbled, “You two should be grateful—I had people hanging me up and branding my chest with hot irons. Do you know how much that hurts?”
Naruto and Magic Chuyang shuddered simultaneously, having seen the scenes in Pirate Chuyang’s memories.
Magic Chuyang forced a smile and said, “Well, now that I have your abilities, I can head to Hogwarts to study magic with peace of mind.”
Naruto Chuyang sighed, “Hopefully next time it’ll be something useful. I can’t keep getting freebies from you every time…”
Pirate Chuyang laughed, “My training speed has tripled; what more do you want? You really are never satisfied.”
Naruto Chuyang threw an arm around Pirate Chuyang’s shoulder. “Brother, you’re amazing this time—getting Armament Haki combined with Wood Release is just insanely strong. And I have a big role to play.”
Pirate Chuyang asked in surprise, “Are you guys at war already?”
Naruto Chuyang said excitedly, “It’s probably the last battle before the village is founded! I’m going to witness the establishment of Konoha with my own eyes!”